Highlights of the Bill

The NSRA shall regulate nuclear safety and activities related to nuclear material and facilities. The government can exempt facilities from NSRA’s jurisdiction if they relate to national defence and security.

The Bill also establishes the Council of Nuclear Safety to review policies on nuclear safety. The Council shall include the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.

The Chairperson of the NSRA will be on the search committee for the remaining members. A member of the NSRA may be removed by the central government after providing him an opportunity to be heard.

An order of the NSRA can be appealed before the Appellate Authority, which would be set up by the Council ‘as and when required’.

The Bill penalises all violations with imprisonment for up to five years.

Key Issues and Analysis

The Council includes the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, who also heads the department that controls nuclear plants. This may lead to a conflict of interest.

The Chairperson of the NSRA will be on the search committee for other members. This may affect the independence of other members.

The Bill allows the central government to regulate certain nuclear facilities on its own. Such facilities would not be under any other independent regulatory authority.

The Bill permits the central government to establish other regulatory bodies for regulating exempted facilities or activities. The extent of Parliamentary oversight over these bodies is not clear.

Members of the NSRA may be removed without a judicial inquiry. The process differs from the procedure under other legislations.

The NSRA’s orders can be appealed before an Appellate Authority, which is not a standing body. It is not clear how an appeal may be filed if the Appellate Authority is not constituted.

The penalty for all offences under the Bill is the same. It is unclear whether the gravity of these offences is the same in all cases.